Inasmuch as next Monday is Memorial Day I've done some research concerning earlier thoughts on that day. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was only 20 when the Civil War broke out. He fought in the 20th Massachusetts infantry and was wounded 3 times. Eventually he became a Justice of the United States Supreme Court on which he served until 1932. In 1884 h …
We are privileged to have Jefferson Crowther, his wife Allison, and their family, in our Gotham family. Although there were 34 (mostly-unrelated) people around the table at yesterday’s meeting of Formica and Open House, for me it was a family meal in which one of the family members shared something special -- something very special. As Jefferso …
I have spoken before about the "Age Of Empowerment." Health Food afficionados Burger King recently announced that after 40 culture shaping years, they are finally retiring their marketing slogan, "Have It Your Way." It occurred to me that either consciously or subconsciously, this emotional Trojan Horse may have over the course of several dec …
We have a contract in our house. The subject is driving. Anyone with a license for less than one month – ok, you get the point – must agree to its terms and sign before being offered the privilege of car keys. The contract covers things like: a) cell phones in the car; b) who can and cannot be a passenger; c) in whose car the new driver may be a …
It’s that time of year where I play the role of a dutiful wife. I only do for my husband once a year so I should be a bit more easygoing about it. But I cannot even pretend to enjoy it because I dislike it so much. There is nothing about it that I like. It’s dirty, smells awful, and there is nothing about it that interests me. In fact, when …
It’s that time of year where I play the role of a dutiful wife. I only do for my husband once a year so I should be a bit more easygoing about it. But I cannot even pretend to enjoy it because I dislike it so much. There is nothing about it that I like. It’s dirty, smells awful, and there is nothing about it that interests me. In fact, when …
Do you bank on line? I do it the old fashioned way. By check. My checkbook is a binder with three checks and stubs per page. Every year or so I take out the stubs, clip them, and put them in the bottom of a drawer. My father used to pay his bills out of his checkbook sitting in the dining room table at night after dinner. He also had a large …
So yesterday was my daughter, Sarah the author and Young Pro's leader's birthday. She has reached the age I was when she was born...28 years ago. Reflecting back it's hard to picture myself at that age. I can remember feeling nervous, scared of the unknown, excited and in a state of wonderment all at the same time. The events of that year aren't …
Joanne's dad passed away last week at the venerable age of 93. Putting aside that he was the father I never had, it was not about me. Joanne's sister Ginny came in from Colorado to share the grief and help out in the untangling of a life's possessions and related arrangements. The sisters were never more in harmony and that was a very good thing. W …
I won’t drink and drive, so why would I risk reaching for a smart phone to check for emails or text messages? The point was driven home last Thursday at the Gotham Long Island meeting by Mike Jakob. Mike, an insurance agent, talked about the problem and a new program that his agency is undertaking to educate the public about the hazards of smartpho …
You can talk about the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, etc. Those are events that I'd call, "bloated." These events generate their size from the media and the hype. The events themselves are no different from regular events that are similar other than the artificial build-up. There is no event more interesting, more exciting, mo …
I want to. I recently decided to dust off my twitter account and see if I could figure out how it works. (My daughter figured that out when she asked me why I “liked” her tweet from over a year ago.) From what I have seen so far, I think I like Twitter. A whole lot of information can be conveyed in such a small number of characters. That said, I …
Monica Lewinsky’s name is again all over the internet due an essay she has written that is to appear in the new issue of Vanity Fair. In the article she details a very difficult sixteen years in the time since her name became a household word. Most quoted on the internet is the following passage that appears in the essay, "Sure, my boss [Bi …
We are up at Syracuse for Emily's graduation. And I am thinking about beer. Benjamin Franklin is attributed to saying that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. It is questionable whether he really said that, but no other drink is as refreshing in the warm months like a nice cold one. The best beer I ever had was a pilsner …
Roughly 80% of Americans have internet access and engage in social media. We post details about ourselves, share this information with friends and strangers, do research, and walk around with our head down looking at email, photos, and more. A lot of people say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; off …
